Forest & Vale Hotel Wedding | Sarah & Luke

Groom's Preparations: The Beansheaf, Pickering, North Yorkshire
Ceremony: The Church of St Peter & St Paul, Pickering, North Yorkshire
Reception: The Forest & Vale Hotel, Pickering, North Yorkshire

Second-shooting with Gav Harrison

Pickering is a place I (and I suspect many of you) have passed through umpteen times on the way to Whitby without really paying it too much attention. I was surprised to discover that it actually has quite a lot to offer the visitor so next time we head for Whitby, we'll set off a bit earlier and explore Pickering for a couple of hours on the way.

Anyway, enough about that. I met Luke and his groomsmen at The Beansheaf Hotel, just outside the town, where they were all getting ready in a small dark room which initially had me reaching for my flash. I'm really glad I decided not to turn it on, though. The light from the small window was quite dramatic and 'contrasty'. It was a very busy scene with everyone getting ready at the same time in such a small space but great fun to photograph.

We drove the short distance into Pickering to St Peter & St Paul's Church, which dominates the skyline. This is one of the places worth a visit in the town. As you can see below the church, unusually, has retained many of its original mediaeval wall paintings. I've shown St George and St Edmund but there are many others. I've seen a few churches in my time, as you can imagine, but none with such beautiful and historic paintings.

The biscuits left at the back of the church for the guests was a nice touch (future couples take note) although they proved to be a bit of a distraction to me during the ceremony (I managed to resist).

The Forest & Vale Hotel is just a short walk down the hill from the church and everyone was delighted to see the ice cream cart in the garden. Apart from a couple of showers, the weather was quite pleasant and the games set up in the garden proved very popular - with the adults....

Congratulations and a big thank you to Sarah & Luke for a great fun day. 

If you would like Gav and myself to photograph your wedding at The Forest And Vale Hotel, or anywhere else for that matter, please CLICK HERE to contact us.